Mufti Menk – Mental Health and Suicide

Alhamdulillah Allah Al amin,

amin, wash hadoo Allah Illa Illa Allah hula, hula sharika wash, Mohammed Abu Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi Adama in my beloved brothers and sisters, we believe in Allah subhanho wa Taala. We believe in the last day, we know that prior to birth, we were with Allah subhanho wa Taala in a place that he wanted us in a form that he wanted us thereafter, he blew the souls into the body's through his divine wisdom and power in a way that he wanted. And he caused our birth on earth for a reason. And he explains that reason to us, or may find a paternal gene

boo. I have not created mankind or Jim kind, except that they worship me. I'll get to the explanation of that. But let's listen to another verse of the Quran

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shy, mean and how often do we will indeed, definitely test every one of you with a little bit of hunger, a little bit of fear, and so on. The verse continues in Surah Al Baqarah. Let's listen to another verse in Surah, two Lanka boot, while

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lemon and VB we have indeed tested those before you as well, in order for us to distinguish between those who are truthful, and those who are liars. And just before that Allah subhanho wa Taala says,

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does man think that it is okay or enough for him? It is sufficient for him to say that I'm a believer, and then not be tested by us. That's what Allah says. Which means Allah is going to test you every day is an opportunity for you to prove to Allah subhanho wa Taala that while you're waiting for the day, you're going to return to Allah, you're going to be the best possible person in your short stay on Earth. Remember that? Always remember, this earth is temporary, which means anything that happens on earth is also temporary. The only thing that carries with you your deeds, the way you did what you did for the sake of Allah subhanho wa Taala good deeds will come with you,

they will be multiplied. bad deeds could be forgiven by Allah if you seek their forgiveness or they will also be carried with you and regretted. So let's do as much good as we can on Earth. My brothers and sisters, many people are losing faith simply because of hardships they're going through. They see no way out. Besides, at times considering suicide, and even fulfilling that may Allah protect us. Remember one thing, Allah subhanho wa Taala has prohibited suicide he's clearly says in the Quran, Allah de PUE

in a law How can I be Kumar Hema, and don't ever kill yourselves? Indeed, Allah is the most merciful upon you. Look at how Allah connects the mercy of Allah. When it comes to the issue of suicide and the discussion of suicide. We all need to know Allah has mercy overtakes any problem or issue that we have.

At times we have major problems. We think that there is no way out. We've lost a job, we don't know where our income is going to come from. Rely on Allah, trust Allah. It's a matter of time after darkness, the light will definitely come. You need to continue. You need to thank the almighty for the little that you have. In fact, you have a lot. Allah subhanho wa Taala says, What

do you need?

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in Surah t Rahim Allah says, if you were to try and count the favors of Allah upon you, you won't be able to count them all. Indeed man is oppressive and very ungrateful, Subhana Allah, so show gratitude unto Allah. Look at what Allah has given you, has given you much your faculties of hearing your sight,

your noses, you know,

your face, everything Allah has given you. So how old are your bodies, your organs, and even if you're unwell and you've lost one or two of these, Allah has given you the rest, and allows granted you so much, you have a place where you can actually sleep at night, you have a little bit of food to keep you surviving, that basic minimum or low will continue to provide it even in the face of hardship and difficulty. You need to make an effort to try and allow will do the rest my brothers and sisters, remember, there is nothing that we should be killing ourselves over May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us a deep understanding.

However, it's normal for human beings to feel low at times, it's normal for human beings to be overthinking at times. It's normal for someone to have a little bit of anxiety at times. But remember, lay your trust in Allah. Number one, believe in Allah understand with conviction that Allah will resolve your matter. Every single person goes through hardship. In fact, I don't know of a soul from among those living on Earth right now who has everything they've ever desired for Not a soul. If this world was free of problems, paradise would have lost its value, what would have been the point of going into paradise, when already we have a place where nothing goes wrong? So Allah,

in order for us to understand has kept the earth in a way that he's going to test us in it. And he's never, ever going to give us every single thing we desire. Until the day we enter Paradise, we have Tasha Hill.

Talking about paradise, Allah says in it, there is everything that the soul desires, and everything that is tasty to the eyes, anything delicious to your eyes, you will have it and on top of that Allah says,

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to fee for need, oh, and you will dwell therein forever and ever. That is paradise, my brothers and sisters as for the earth, challenge upon challenge, you could have all the money on Earth, but still, you will go through a little bit of sickness, a little bit of fear, a little bit of anxiety, what does Allah say? Or Bashir, give good news to him. He's just told us that he's going to test us with difficulty, hardship, anxiety, loss of life, loss of produce loss of wealth, so much more. And Allah says, a bit of war, uncertainty. And Allah says, After that give good news, good news to who good news, or bad share is savarin. give good news to those who bear suffer, suffer means bearing

patience, understanding the plan of Allah conviction in Allah subhanho wa Taala. Part of sobra is to surrender to the decree of Allah. Allah has given you a certain capacity beyond that you don't have the capacity we are living in uncertain times. But all times before this, we're uncertain on a different level. Subhana Allah, may Allah grant us ease so the first thing Allah says, give good news to those who bear patience and who Allah describes them further. And levena inna

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those whom when calamity strikes, they are quick to say we indeed belong to Allah, all of us, and we're all going to return back to Allah subhanho wa Taala. Every one of us is going to return to Allah. Those who say these statements are the ones Allah says, they will have the mercy of their Lord, and they are the ones who are rightly guided, they will have the blessings from Allah. So if you want to be blessed, you need to always think about where you came from. And the fact that you're going to go back to Allah subhanho wa Taala. You came from Allah, like I said, right at the beginning of this talk, and you're going to go back to Allah subhanho wa

Allah when he wants, that could be today. It could be tomorrow, it could be after a year or after 10 years, more or less. That's all up to Allah. I did not determine my date of birth, nor did I determine where I was going to be born or to whom I was going to be born in terms of my parents, and Allah subhanho wa Taala definitely has kept the knowledge of where I'm going to die, how I'm going to die and the exact conditions with him. So that is Allah subhanho wa Taala. we as believers need to be convinced that if we live our lives in accordance with what Allah wants to the best of our abilities, and we seek forgiveness, where we have faulted, we will definitely be earning the mercy

and the pleasure of Allah going to a much better place than that which we are in right now. May Allah grant that to us, try your best my brothers, my sisters, then we have Allah telling us after the issue of patience, and after the issue of bearing that conviction within you with the patience, Allah subhanho wa Taala tells us through the blessing lips of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to be kind to one another, to reach out to one another, to develop your character, your conduct, to speak to people with utmost respect, with love and kindness, because we're all part of the same species. And Allah subhanho wa Taala tells us in Surah 200, and I invite all of you to pick

up the Quran today, and to read Surah 200 in its meaning entirity it's a very short surah. But in it, Allah tells you how to live. If you live by Surah 200 you will empower those around you and in turn, you will be empowered as well. It makes life much more meaningful my brothers and sisters, we will be able to deal with mental health issues. When we communicate with one another in a respectful way. When we reach out to one another encourage one another don't spew words of hate. That's what the Quran teaches us. The Sunnah teaches us the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says a true believer is not abusive, not hurtful and not vulgar. Why does he say that? Because if you were to

use abusive words within your homes, some parents do that with their children. Some siblings do that too. So Allah says, if you were to use abusive words, Subhana Allah, you would be sinful because that's not the quality of a believer. Imagine using abusive hurtful words in your own circles or to whomsoever it may be, and you want them to feel degraded for the moment, you don't realize it may sow a seed of hurt within their hearts that might be translated later on, into mental health issues that could develop into the considering of suicide, and even following it through, may Allah protect us. So don't say hurtful words to anyone there is no need. When you differ with someone we've always

said differ respectfully. You need to protect the mind you need to understand that person is a human being to look at the head, understand in that head, there is a brain. behind those eyes, there is an understanding, there is a person with real feelings. There is a person who really has a connection with their maker just like you have, there is a person who might require help and assistance you need to help. That's why the messenger peace be upon him says the best of all people are those who are the most beneficial to the rest of the people, as many people as you can benefit. That's what will make you the best of all the people may Allah grant us a deep understanding. We are lacking in

communication in our own homes with our own children, we are forcing them to do things they don't want to do. We belittle each other and then we talk about the struggles with mental health. As though we are champions of it when we are actually guilty of making things worse for others. Today, I want to reach out to all the parties who are struggling in this way. Remember, you may be the cause of someone else's issues, be they mental issues, emotional issues, psychological issues, you might be a cause of it. How you might ask well, the way you talk to them the way you address matters how you don't listen to them. You don't communicate with your own children, your own family members,

your own friends, those who work with you or for you, or human beings who are in need or who are in any situation. You make it difficult for them. Don't do that. Make it easy for them. Understand, communicate, learn to listen, learn to put yourselves in the shoes of others, that will definitely empower people.

Learn to nod your head more than shaking it. May Allah grant us ease. When we guide people learn to guide with goodness, many people are struggling honestly, with OCD and they are struggling with so many other issues. One called West wasa in the Arabic language, the whisperings of shavon, a type of OCD. And many times from my experience, it goes back to those who preach religion as well, in a very harsh way, the minute our children start listening to people who have a one track mind, they begin to doubt themselves, they begin to doubt their acts of worship, they begin to doubt whatever they're doing, they begin to feel they're unclean, impure, not worthy, and so on. That's why the Prophet

Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has taught us about the balance between hope and fear. We don't give so much hope that a person begins to sin thinking it's okay.

And we don't give so much of fear that the person begins to doubt themselves and start struggling mentally, emotionally, spiritually and so on. But we need to strike a balance between the two. The prophet SAW Selim tells us give more good news. Don't give bad news bashira wala tuna Fira give good news. Don't chase people away, don't give them such that they will turn away from the dean, they begin to doubt their prayers, they begin to doubt their cleanliness. Let's speak to people with respect and give them a door every time no matter how sinful they are. Show them the door of goodness and purity in the most loving way. We are going through challenging times, I'd like to

think due to social media and the ability for a person in the north to witness the gifts upon the person in the south. And the times these are photoshopped, but it can hurt a person.

The same applies to the east or west people are connected so much with social media and with technology that they begin to cry and weep within over something they think another person has that they don't have. And they don't realize that person probably doesn't have it. You know, people take pictures and photos of themselves, photoshopped them to look absolutely perfect. and post them. And I've come across people who've reached out to me saying I'm ugly, I don't think I look nice. I've got a few pimples on my face. This has happened. These are real challenges that people are facing. And I tell them my child, do you know what, those are photoshopped you're comparing yourself with

someone who has way more pimples than yours. But they've covered them in one way or another. Don't depress, don't stress. And that's why I encourage you, my brothers and sisters come out in your natural look the way Allah has created you in order to empower others to know that we are but flawed human beings.

That might be a statement that some might not agree with. But it's fine. It's just a point of encouragement. I have come across so many people who don't like the way they look. Whereas they are so beautiful, the most beautiful of us. And they begin to doubt the way they look. Similarly, because of the pressures of society, community, my brothers and sisters, take it easy. Remember, when you want to show only the good side, not only will you be depressed at some stage, knowing that that's not actually you, but you cause the stress of so many other people, they struggle, they struggle coping, they don't even want to come out. They don't want to talk to others or appear in

the presence of others, because they are not happy with anything the Almighty has given them yet they've been blessed with way more than you and I may Allah bless every one of us. So let's be considerate of others. When we show off things that we have, or even things at times we don't have, but we pretend to have. May Allah make it easy for us. My brothers and sisters, what I'm saying is absolutely important. This is the reason why Allah tells us don't show off. Don't show off things because others may be hurt or you don't know what's going to be happening. People show their married life. They show so many other things as though it's perfect, yet they know it's not perfect. Let's

talk about the challenges we go through so that others realize they are normal human beings. All of us go through challenges. Every one of us has issues, babies issues, health issues, or whatever else it may be. financial matters, anxiety, a little bit of it to a certain extent, yes. Our communication with Allah keeps us going. Our communication with others who are going to empower us with good words keeps us going. We are worthwhile. We do have hope in the mercy of Allah and we are being we are gifted by Allah, my brothers, my sisters.

So this is why I say my beloved brothers and sisters don't compare yourselves with others.

Not at all. They probably have less than you, but they're showing off in a way that in a way that they feel that they have more than you know, my brothers, my sisters, may Allah subhanho wa Taala make it easy today. I want you to empower yourself by speaking about the challenges you're going through. It's okay, we are normal. We are human beings. Thank Allah show gratitude for the favors upon you. And what are the favors Allah says, Allah will be.

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Should we show you something that is better than the material wealth that is being matched by the people, that which is material being amassed? Everyone looks at the watches and the cars and the phones and the perfumes and the bags and the clothes and the accessories and so much more and they become wowed by it. Allah says Should we tell you what is way better than all of that? The virtue and the mercy of Allah, the favor of Allah, your belief, your Eman your consciousness of Allah, your relationship with Allah that is far better. Look at people who have everything but they're still depressed because they're lacking in their communication with Allah in their relationship or link

with Allah Subhana Allah to Allah. And then you have others who have almost no nothing. But they're thinking a lot day and night. They have a smile as broad as you can imagine. May Allah subhanho wa Taala, grant us contentment. So if you are affected, learn to speak to communicate first with Allah, first with Allah, and then with others. And if you are in a situation where you've been abused, you've been abusing others, bad mouthing them, making life difficult for them, doing things that have caused trauma and mental stress upon others. It's about time you stopped. Many parents, unfortunately, when they swear their children when they belittle their children, when they call them

dirty names. While law he they don't realize the psychological mental impact those abusive words have within their own children La ilaha illAllah. Let's stop that. If you're a true believer, if you believe in Allah, say words of love, even when guiding your children, and ask yourself, tell yourself Subhana Allah, that if my child wants something that is halal, if my child wants something that is good and pure, I'm not going to say no simply because of my whims and fancies. If Allah has allowed something, let it be Alhamdulillah. And when you want to guide them if they want something that is prohibited, do it in the most loving the most kind way. In that way you will empower people

learn to talk to people don't betray others, don't black male people, my brothers and sisters, we are on earth together for a very short period of time, prove to Allah that you are going to be the best of human beings by reaching out to the rest of the human beings in the most beautiful and productive way ever. And hamdulillah Cairo nasi And Pharaoh homeliness, Kriya locum haciendo, Kamala Khan, the best of people are those who are most beneficial to the rest of the people. And the best of you are those who have the greatest of character and conduct. This is why be courteous, don't embarrass people. Don't utter words of racism, words of tribalism, whatever it may be. Say good

words. Always empower people, listen to them, understand them, help them achieve what they want, they actually belong to Allah, they belong to Allah, not to you. So for as long as they're intending something that is within what Allah has okayed. You need to understand smile, and stand rise to the occasion. Help them Allah will help you kind of love houfy only Abdi makanan Abu fionna hee hee, I end with this beautiful Hadith, Allah subhanho wa Taala. His help, will continue to be with his slave for as long as that slave or that worshiper continues to help another. May Allah subhanho wa Taala bless every one of us, and grant us all ears in the struggles and the sufferings. Let's utter

words of love, more than words of hate, and my brothers and sisters. We definitely belong to Allah. And we're going to return to Him in sha Allah, better days to come. Much better days to come. Look at how many people have suffered loss before they saw the greatest of success. May Allah grant us less than a cola, cola or Salalah